Greenberg cooperating with feds since last year in Gaetz probe, report says.
Joel Greenberg, the disgraced former Seminole County tax collector facing a slew of federal charges, has been cooperating with investigators since last year and has revealed alleged paid sex encounters involving himself and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Greenberg began talking to the feds in order to secure leniency after realizing they had “overwhelming” evidence against him, according to the report, which cites “two people briefed on the matter.”
The report states that Greenberg told federal authorities he and Gaetz “had encounters with women who were given cash or gifts in exchange for sex.” It has previously been reported that the federal probe concerned allegations the women were recruited online and paid for sex.
The investigation also reportedly involves allegations the men had sex with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with them, potentially in violation of federal sex trafficking laws.
Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, insisting he has never paid for sex or had sex as an adult with anyone underage.
Greenberg is already charged with sex trafficking of a child. He also faces an array of other charges, including wire fraud, bribery of a public official, theft of government property, stalking and identity theft. The Times report notes that the fraud allegations against him may undermine his credibility as a cooperating witness. Harlan Hill, a Gaetz spokesperson, told the newspaper in its latest story that Greenberg was “trying to ensnare innocent people in his troubles.”
Speculation that Greenberg could be cooperating against Gaetz spiked after his attorney confirmed in federal court last week that Greenberg was expected to come to terms on a plea deal with federal prosecutors in the next month. A deadline for a deal was set for May 15.
“I am sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,” Greenberg’s attorney, Fritz Scheller, told reporters after the hearing. Scheller, who was hired to replace an earlier defense team in December, declined to comment Tuesday evening.
Greenberg, who courted controversy throughout his time in office even as his star rose in local Republican politics, and Gaetz, a Panhandle Republican aligned with former President Donald Trump, were vocal allies of each other, often seen together and part of a network of GOP power brokers.